Curriculum

St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School and its curriculum exist primarily to serve the child as a growing and developing individual, interacting with the world, learning to operate in it, and trying to make sense of her/his experience.

Our school aims to:

help children grow in awareness of self, others, environment and faith community

assist children in the forming of Christian attitudes in the context of the traditions and doctrines of the Catholic Church

enable children to respond to experiences and to be intrinsically motivated to learn and grow through them

engage students in a real life and relevant curriculum that seeks to embed the cross-curriculum priorities of

Sustainability which addresses the ongoing capacity of the Earth to support life

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Histories & Cultures

Asia and Australia’s Engagement in Asia

At St Brigid’s, the curriculum content encompasses the Australian and Victorian Essential Learning Standards (AusVELS) and the resources provided through the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne’s publication; To Know, Worship & Love.

AusVELS commences at the Foundation level and continues through all levels in Primary Schools

Knowledge, skills and behaviours are developed across all year levels to meet the needs of all students

Teachers are committed to the principles of Contemporary Teaching & Learning and Inquiry-based learning to engage, motivate and inspire students.

Religious Education

As a Catholic school this is one of our core learning areas

Learning Areas

The Arts

Drama

Visual Arts

English

Health and Physical Education

Humanities

Civic and Citizenship

Economics & Business

Geography

History

Languages (LOTE)

Mathematics

Science

Technologies

Design and Technologies

Digital Technologies

Capabilities

Critical & Creative Thinking

Ethical

Intercultural

Personal & Social

Specialist Programs

At St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School, our students are given the opportunity to be involved in a variety of specialist programs, contributing to their learning experiences through a varied curriculum that builds on multiple skills.

Performing Arts

The Performing Arts program at St Brigid’s sees all students actively involved in creating and performing dramatic responses, building self-confidence and social skills. St Brigid’s has developed a quality Performing Arts program which involves student performances. These performances aim to showcase students expressive skills, dramatic ideas and specific stagecraft elements used to communicate ideas to an audience.

Physical Education

Physical Education at St Brigid’s is a fun and motivating experience, allowing all students to participate in a variety of learning experiences. Students are involved in basic and complex motor skills development and given opportunities to apply these skills through team games and activities. St Brigid’s students are also given the opportunity to compete at zone competitions in athletics and swimming and our annual house athletics carnival is an event that everyone looks forward to! We also have an annual cross country hosted at the school. Our yearly house swimming carnival at the Healesville pool allows students to put their swimming skills learnt from lessons in Foundation to Junior years into practice while participating in team competition.

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts program at St Brigid’s involves students in a variety of hands-on, interactive experiences that allow them to create and make, as well as explore and respond to art works. Visual Arts is often integrated with other curriculum areas, supporting Inquiry learning and Religious Education. The aims of our program include:

Encouraging tactile and fine motor skill development, enabling children to control tools and apply techniques

Acquiring a visual grammar

Cultivating observation of detail, such as elements of colour, shade, texture, and dimensionality.

Examining the practical usage of art, craftsmanship, and design in the wider community eg: architects, graphic designers, illustrators etc.

Each year, St Brigid’s holds an art show, exhibiting the students work from throughout the year. The art show is a much loved part of our school and the students thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to have their work displayed to the wider school community.

Languages Other Than English – AUSLAN

The aim of our LOTE programme is to give students varied, enjoyable lessons which provide them with every opportunity to develop linguistic skills as well as gain a deep appreciation and understanding of another culture.

With the introduction of AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) added to the Australian Curriculum, knowledge of the language may aid your children interact with members of our deaf community while also raising awareness about the different ways that children learn in Australia.

AUSLAN lessons at St Brigid’s are interactive and motivating. Students learn the knowledge, skills relevant to the different syntactic functions between the two english languages. These skills practised include listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing, centred around the use of body language, visual cues and signs.